SAN ANTONIO, Texas (October 23, 2012) - The South Texas Blood & Tissue Center (STBTC), through its GenCure affiliate, has established a research collaboration agreement with San Antonio-based StemBioSys, Inc. to provide mononuclear cells from clinical grade human umbilical cord blood (hUCB) to StemBioSys for research and development use.

StemBioSys will utilize the hUCB stem cells to further evaluate the use of its patented extracellular matrix technology for the isolation and expansion of a rare subset of stem cells found in hUCB. Previous research performed by StemBioSys co-founder Dr. Xiao-Dong Chen has indicated that these cells contain properties indicative of a primordial stem cell population with a broad range of potential use in stem cell research, drug development and therapeutic applications.

Dennis Fallen, CEO of South Texas Blood & Tissue Center, said, "Working with companies like StemBioSys that are on the cutting edge of stem cell research and product development is exactly what we want to do through GenCure. This agreement further expands our reach into key areas of regenerative medicine research and treatment."

Dr. Steven Davis, CEO of StemBioSys, said, "This collaboration is important to the expansion of our technology and its potential for broader use in the regenerative medicine arena. It's a great advantage to have a partner like GenCure right here in San Antonio and that speaks well to the diversity of life science services, research and emerging companies in this city."

STBTC's GenCure focuses on providing cell and tissue services for regenerative medicine therapy and research around the world. GenCure has established research collaborations with Scripps Research Institute, the National Disease Research Interexchange, Cytonet, University of Texas Health Science Center, University of Illinois, Lonza Walkersville, Inc., and the Texas Biomedical Research Institute.

StemBioSys, Inc. is a development-stage biomedical company in the emerging field of stem cell and regenerative medicine. Founded in 2010, the company has advanced, patent-protected technologies - licensed from the University of Texas System - which help overcome key obstacles to creating much-needed stem cell therapies. StemBioSys is focused on the isolation and expansion of specialized, non-embryonic stem cells for clinical applications. Its technology platforms allow it to grow a variety of stem cells for product use, collaborators and licensees with unprecedented speed and efficiency while maintaining their full stem cell potential.

The South Texas Blood & Tissue Center is a not-for-profit organization with a variety of specialized services. It provides blood, plasma, platelets and other blood components to more than 100 hospitals and clinics in South Texas. Its GenCure affiliate includes Tissue Services, the National Marrow Donor Program and the Texas Cord Blood Bank. QualTex Laboratories, a wholly-owned subsidiary, is one of the nation's largest, independent, not-for-profit laboratories for patient, donor and biological testing services, annually screening in its San Antonio and Norcross, GA facilities more than 8 million whole blood and plasma donations for its global biotechnology customers.

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